Welcome to MoneyNerd! Rick here. SpaceX IPOs today, and Wall Street is (mostly) giddy. What does it mean for the average investor? We get into that below. But first, let’s talk World Cup — specifically, how to enjoy it on the cheap.
The World Cup, like the Olympics, only comes around every four years. I’m a longtime fan, at least in part because it’s a chance to root for the Netherlands, the country my parents came from. So I was pretty excited when it was announced that the tournament would be coming back stateside in 2026 for the first time since 1994, co-hosted this time with Canada and Mexico.
I attended a World Cup game in ’94 (at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena), and if I remember right the ticket set me back $75. That tracks, because tickets for first-round games back then ranged from $25 to $75, while tickets to the final topped out at $475.
Incidentally, $75 felt like a stretch then.
How much are tickets this time? Personal finance writer Tommy Tindall gets into the ugly details below, but suffice to say I will not be attending a game in person this year, even though one of the venues is just across the lake in Seattle.
So how best to enjoy one of the world’s biggest sporting events without taking out a second mortgage? There’s TV, of course, and Tommy walks through the streaming options below. But (for my money) soccer is best experienced with other fans. Tournament organizer FIFA is organizing “fan festivals” in host cities, but there are also public watch parties and soccer-focused pubs across the country.
My tip: Just plug "World Cup watch party" or "soccer pub nearby" into your search engine of choice, and go learn a soccer chant or two.
Where’s the best World Cup seat? In your house
- Tommy Tindall, personal finance writer
While I’m partial to the kind of football with less kicking, I’m pumped about this World Cup. For one, soccer is super fun to watch (and play on Xbox). For two, it’s close to home, happening in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 to July 19.
In fact, Team USA takes on Paraguay at 6 p.m. Pacific time Friday in L.A. I can already hear the chants.
Tickets are how much? In this economy?
Want to go to that game last-minute? I found tickets on SeatGeek for $921 a pop when I searched on June 10. For financial context, that’s just under what it costs to feed a family of four for a month, according to USDA estimates.
I also found two tickets to see the reigning World Cup championship team Argentina take on Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City. The price tag? $1,714 for two on StubHub with fees included. That’s more than the current median asking rent in the 50 largest metro areas. (It’s $1,667, in case you were wondering).
And don’t even get me started on the final (where direct prices range up to $10,990, and resale tickets are much more — much, much more, in fact).
Experiences are expensively overrated if you ask me.
Streaming World Cup matches is more my style
Save some coin and still get your FIFA fix: You can stream on either Fox One or Peacock, depending on your language preference.
Fox One is $19.99 per month and will feature all 104 matches on either the Fox broadcast channel or FS1, in English. Having access to Fox and FS1 is the best way to watch all the matches.
Peacock is $10.99 per month and will feature all 72 Group Stage matches on either the Telemundo or Universo channels, in Spanish.
Also, Friday’s USA vs. Paraguay game streams free on Tubi.
I’m still riding a six-month promotion on my Peacock plan and don't want to add another streaming service to my budget. Counting on my four semesters of college Spanish to get me by as I tune in to Telemundo. Goooooooooooooal!
SpaceX is ready to launch — and it wants your money as fuel
SpaceX — Elon Musk’s rocket ship, satellite internet and AI company — is set to go public today in what is being billed as the biggest IPO in history. And it’s not just well-heeled investors getting in on the action, as shares will be made available through several major trading platforms. But if you don’t want in, watch out. Elon wants some of that sweet, sweet retail investor money, and SpaceX is being fast-tracked into some of the major indexes — and thus into the index funds that so many of us hold in our 401(k) plans.
Dig in on what it all means:
Read: How to invest (or not) in SpaceX (from Investing writer Sam Taube).
Watch (or listen to) the opening of our latest episode of Smart Money.
Watch NerdWallet’s Hanna Horvath walk through the IPO (below).
If burgers are in your summer grill plans, better start budgeting
- Rick VanderKnyff, senior news editor
The May consumer price index released this week is filled with price ups and downs — but mostly ups. We’ll focus here on what it all means for your summer burger plans.
Ground beef: Good news! Ground beef prices dropped 1.3% in May. Bad news! They’re still up 12.9% in the last year.
Lettuce: Ouch. Lettuce prices bolted 16.4% in May, and are up 24.9% since last May.
Tomatoes: The price of a tomato dropped a sizable 6.1% in May, but is up 32.0% annually.
Condiments: A subcategory that includes pickles and relishes is up 5.2% annually, while the mysterious “other condiments” is up 8.1%.
Cheese: Like cheese on your burger? You’re in luck. Prices are down 6.0% in the last year.
Buns: OK, buns aren’t broken out as a separate item, but bread overall fell 0.7% in May and is up 3.5% for the year.
Meanwhile, though energy prices are up (way up) overall, propane has risen only 0.6% in the last year — well below the overall inflation rate of 4.2%. Food inflation, for the record, came in at 3.1%.
Planning to upgrade your gas appliance to electric? Read this first
- Kate Ashford, personal finance writer
If you’re planning to trade your gas stove for that new electric range you’ve been eyeing, be forewarned: You’re no longer eligible for a government rebate for making the swap.
In recently released guidance from the Energy Department, states are no longer allowed to offer rebates for replacing nonelectric appliances (like a gas furnace) with electric alternatives.
What’s driving this new guidance?
Instead, rebates are limited to upgrades “from existing electric equipment to more efficient electric equipment,” unless someone is buying for new construction.
The changes affect part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which earmarked $8.8 billion for states to set up rebate programs related to energy-efficient home upgrades. Funding was temporarily frozen in 2025 and later reinstated, but states still faced administrative hurdles. This guidance from the Energy Department allows those funds to move more freely again — but with new rules.
Although the gas-to-electric switch is now off the rebate table, there are still incentives available for other upgrades, including appliances, water heaters, vehicle chargers, and heating and cooling systems.
To see what rebates are available in your area, visit EnergyStar.gov and enter your ZIP code to find local offers.
- Courtney Neidel, personal finance editor
Try our tip calculator and bill splitter. The next time your server hands you a check, our tipping calculator can make the tipping math easier. Pick your desired tipping percentage. You can even choose to split the bill among multiple people.
Shop around for a phone provider. Want a cheap cell phone plan? The cheapest options are typically prepaid, which means you only commit to the month(s) of service you pay for upfront. We rounded up some options to make your research easier.
Turn your skills into a side gig. Sites like Taskrabbit allow you to make money by assembling furniture, hanging artwork, mounting TVs and more. We talked to real “Taskers” to find out how it works and what you should know before getting started.
Question of the week: Do I really need to track my spending?
- Kimberly Palmer, personal finance spokesperson
Tracking your spending can be the key that unlocks better financial choices.
Skeptical? Consider what happened when NerdWallet writer Kate Ashford gave it a try. After just 30 minutes, she set herself on a path to save $600 in the coming year.
Here are some more ways to make tracking your spending impactful:
Decide on a tracking method. You can do it manually or use an app like NerdWallet to link up your accounts.
Look for patterns and unusual expenses. When expenses are recurring each month — as subscriptions often are — they can add up quickly. Dig into those recurring expenses and see what you can adjust.
Give yourself a realistic goal. Select a specific category, like online spending, to scale back, and then stick to it.
Check in after a few months. See how your spending patterns have changed and make any needed adjustments.
So should you track your spending? We’d say yes.
Here’s what else you may have missed this week from NerdWallet:
Total employment rose by 172,000, far exceeding economists’ more modest expectations of 80,000 jobs.
Paying off a personal loan faster can save money on interest and free up room in your budget.
Findings from the three major consumer sentiment indexes show increasing uncertainty over the war in Iran.
Nearly half of insured Americans are stressed by the cost of insurance, but few are shopping around or switching.
Here’s the homebuying advice one of our mortgages writers ignored.
Elsewhere in money news:
Close to half of workers age 55 and older don’t plan to use AI at work. (MarketWatch) 🔒
Can you guess the jaw-dropping U.S. Women’s Open prize amount? (Golf Channel)
Apple announced new software this week, including its most advanced AI model. (CNBC)
Your MoneyNerd team: Courtney Neidel, Anna Helhoski, Rick VanderKnyff.
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Until next week,
